The present invention comprises of a new and distinct variety of petunia, botanically known as Petunia hybrida f. cv., and hereinafter referred to by the variety name ‘SAKPET096.’ ‘SAKPET096’ is characterized by having rose and white star-patterned bicolored flowers and a mounding plant habit. Petunia variety ‘SAKPET096’ originated from a hybridization in Kakegawa, Japan in 2009. The female parent was a proprietary petunia breeding line named ‘PCB-1’ (unpatented) having blue and white star-patterned bicolored flowers and a semi-mounding plant habit. The male parent was a proprietary petunia breeding line named ‘6Bcr-135a-2a’ (unpatented) having rose-pink colored flowers and a creeping plant habit.
In June 2009, ‘PCB-1’ and ‘6Bcr-135a-2a’ were crossed and 100 seeds were obtained. In February 2010, the F1 seed was sown in a greenhouse, cultivated, and 30 plants were produced with flower colors of rose and white star-pattern, blue and white star-pattern, magenta, blue, rose, and flowers that open dark violet and mature to a light lavender plum and mounding, semi-mounding and semi-creeping plant habits. In March 2011, a plant line was selected within the F1 plants that had rose and white star-patterned flowers and a mounding plant growth habit. The selection was named ‘L2011-205’. From February through March 2011 the selection was evaluated for day length neutral flowering response. In March 2011, ‘L2011-205’ was vegetatively propagated, cultivated and transplanted to the field for outdoor evaluation. In October 2011 and in January 2012 the breeder confirmed that line ‘L2011-205’ was fixed and stable. The line was subsequently named ‘SAKPET096’ and its unique characteristics were found to reproduce true to type in successive generations of asexual propagation via vegetative cuttings.